Remnant Fantasy: Adventures
by BlueNyxZios
Summary: 8 friends awaken to find themselves in a Remnant far different than they are familiar with. With the unique gifts they were granted in this new world, they intend to live this life to the fullest. Contains guilds, dungeons, and a mix of modern fantasy often found in adventure novels. Some elements with the original series will be retained, but others will be far different.
1. Chapter 1

"Ah..."

A young child lets out a yawn as he rouses from his slumber. He is feeling well rested, which is quite strange considering his place of employment.

From what he could remember from his job is that he would spend countless hours late into the night to stay on schedule in order to make ends meet.

An exhausting and thankless job for sure.

Fortunately he had his friends to support him in his time of need to share his grievances and confide in their often wise advice.

They are there when he needs to blow off some steam with their hobbies which include video games, movies, and other forms of entertainent.

Each of them had a favorite.

After stretching the stiffness out of his body, the boy glances around and discovers that he has awoken in the back of an old pickup truck along with 7 other strangely colorful children which is unusual for sure.

"Did I wake up at a junior's cosplay event?" He asks himself with a chuckle, but stops abruptly when he hears the sound of his own voice. "Why does my voice sound so squeaky?"

Turning to face the nearby window, the boy finds his reflection visible to him in the moonlit night and is surprised at the unfamiliar sight before him.

"Is that... Me?" He reaches up and rubs his face, watching as the reflection repeats the same thing in return. "This is impossible!"

Needless to say the boy is speechless at the situation he finds himself in presently. His comprehension is failing to accept what is now his new reality.

He remembers his original childhood and how he looked originally. Far different than what he is seeing currently. In his memories was a child with dark brown hair with hazel irises. What he is seeing now is a boy with black hair and violet colored irises.

In his past life he was an average guy with freckles, but now he possesses a flawless complexion. Smooth and noble looking, as if he were cut from royalty.

"Great... I am a child again." He slumps down and leans back against the bed of the truck with a sigh. He chuckles dryly as a thought comes to him. "At least I didn't have to consciously experience childbirth, breastfeeding, and the other humiliating experiences that comes with infancy."

Staring up into the starry skies, the boy reminisces about the life he had experienced and left behind. Did he die and get reborn? Or did he steal the body of a recently deceased child? The boy is not sure, but strangely enough he is unable to recall his or his friend's names. Which in itself just as weird as waking up in a truck full of weird looking kids.

"Is that the Devil Bringer?" The boy asks when he notices one of the kids has a demonic looking right arm that occasionally glows a dim azure color. An arm easily recognizable as Nero's arm from the Devil May Cry series.

Now that he looks closely some of these kids look quite strange. A girl with fox ears and 9 fluffy looking tails, one girl has elven looking ears, the last one has kitty ears and a long tail.

As he is observing his fellow passagers the boy can hear voices approaching. Sitting up and leaning over the top of the truck bed, he strains his hearing to listen.

"So only the kids survived among the refugees?" An elderly voice asks.

The gruff voice of a middle-aged man replies, "Yeah. Just the 8 of them. When I found them they were with a dying man who was mortally wounded fighting off assaulting Grimm."

'Grimm?' The boy thinks to himself as he tries to remember where he had heard that term from.

The elderly voice sighs in sadness before speaking, "Ill tidings indeed. Another village overrun and wiped out so suddenly. At least they were able to save some of the children. Did the man say anything before passing?"

"Not too much." The middle-aged man answers, "he identified the children and requested shelter for the children before succumbing to his wounds. 4 human and 4 Faunus children."

'Faunus?' The boy mumbles in his head trying to recall where he had heard those terms before. 'Faunus, Grimm... Just where have I heard these names from?'

"The human children are named Noir Sinclair, Ace Gideon, Astraea 'Astrid' Lore, and Maya Lilith."

For some reason the boy is intimately drawn to a certain name in particular. 'Noir? That is my name...'

"The faunus children go by the names of Eve Kurama the fox faunus, Mew Saphira the cat faunus, and as for Troy Sparda and Linkle Crescent. I don't quite know what kind of faunus they are. The dying man did not quite know either."

The elderly man nods in understanding.

"These children are fortunate to end up here rather than in the kingdom. Treatment of faunus is quite terrible from what I've heard."

"Indeed." The middle-aged man agrees and asks, "What will we do about the children though? No one in the village has the resources to care for a child, let alone 8 of them."

"Hm..." The elderly man thinks momentarily before coming up with a plausible solution. "Lotus Manor has long since been deserted since it's previous owner passed away. We will convert it into a shelter for the children."

"Brilliant!" The middle-aged man readily agrees. "This way we can all pitch in and provide the sustenance they would require to survive. Some of the older women can volunteer and watch over them and educate them. As they get older, they can then decide what they want in their future."

"Yes. If they want live a simple life, seek opportunity in the kingdoms, or even join the guild itself. The choice will be theirs."

"These kids have potential. I just hope he can aid them in realizing that potential."

"I share that hope myself Roland. Drive the truck to the manor and we will let them rest for the night. Gods know they need it after experiencing what they have been through."

Noir lays back down and stars up into the skies above thinking about the conversation he had heard. A number of thinks stuck out to him more so than others. Particularly the terms Grimm and Faunus.

"Grimm. Faunus. Grimm... Faunus..." Noir continues to mumbles these terms over and over again trying to make sense of them. Staring blankly into the skies above, he watches as the small clouds concealing the moon drift away. His eyes widen when the moon is revealed in it's full glory.

"No fucking way!" Stares out at the shattered moon in shock as it finally clicks in his head.

"Grimm, Faunus, and the shattered moon! This is Remnant! RWBY!" A look of understanding appears on his face, but he has even more questions needing to be answered. "How am I in a fictional world? Why Remnant of all worlds? Hell, even Naruto would have been less dangerous and that is saying alot."

Noir sighs sadly and mumbles under his breath, "Fuck my life..."

The truck cranks up and starts driving along the road through the village. He can vaguely hear the man named Roland say something up front.

"Welcome to the Village of Faron kids."/pre


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Friends.

Lotus Manor.

A two story villa built at the edge of Faron Village by a former hunter that was born in the village over 10 years ago before his death. The spacious manor has 6 bedrooms, two baths, a large living room, kitchen and dining room. A still stocked library and the previous owner's personal study.

The villa, during emergencies involving bandits or Grimm tides, is used as a shelter for the villagers to safely hide in until help arrives to drive off the invading forces. Fortunately it had never been in use.

The previous owner had donated his assets to the village to assist in economic issues sgould they arise when he had known he was dying. Considering he had no next of kin or descendants of his own, this act of selflessness had bailed the village out many problems since his death.

The Dust stock within his armory made keeping the local hunter's munitions stocked for months. On the other hand the donated lien supplied the villagers with new grain, seed, and livestock to make the village even more independent of outside help. The village could sustain itself safely.

Now that the manor has not been in use in years, it had finally been given a new purpose. As a shelter for the children who had lost everything.

...

The sun slowly rises over the horizen marking the dawn of a new day. For Noir it also marks the start of a possibly new life. Whether it would be a good life or turn out to be a complete disaster, he does not know. All he can do is go one step at a time and hope for the best.

Noir is hopeful that he at least isn't shafted when it comes to Aura and Semblances. His thoughts are interrupted when he hears a very high pitched shout coming from upstairs causing him to chuckle.

"WHAT THE FUCK MAN!"

This shout is followed by other shouts of panic and confusion causing him to shake his head with a smile.

"Why am I not panicking like them?" Noir asks himself. Moving away from the window he takes a seat on the sofa and calmly listens to the noises coming fron upstairs. He starts reading a book he borrowed from the manor's library, the history of Remnant and waits.

The first person to rush down the stairs was an interesting faunus girl with bright, neck lenth spiky orange colored hair that has black highlights. Adorning her head is a pair of fox ears and behind her are 9 fluffy tails. Her eyes are crimson with slit pupils and the final noticable traits are the 3 whisker markings on each of her cheeks.

She is apparently having a hard time adjusting to her body's new sense of balance thanks to the tails. She seems... Awkward so to say.

"Morning." Noir greets her only briefly looking up from his book.

Still confused and lost, she greets him and sits in a chair across from him. Shuffling a few times in her chair, the girl tries to get comfortable and is failing miserably causing Noir to chuckle much to her annoyance.

"Having a hard time adjusting to the tails?" Noir asks.

She looks at him silently before nodding her head, "Yes. I didn't have these damn things before going to sleep last night, so why do I have them now? I can't walk in a straight line without tripping or losing my balance!"

She grabs one of her tails and rubs it gently with a sniffle, a tear threatening to fall from her eyes.

"I slammed the door on one of my tails and it really really hurt!"

"My condolences." Noir offers his sympathy for the girl's plight. "I truly am sorry for your situation, I really am."

This causes the girl to smile in thanks.

"I would like to share an observation I've been holding to myself since I had woken up in this strange situation. One you might find interesting considering your new appendages." Noir says. The girl nods and he continues, "Your hair color, the whisker, the eyes, ears, and finally the 9 tails. They remind me of a certain 9 tailed demon fox from a story about shadows who possess the ability to alter the very earth itself."

He looks at her reaction and smirks when he sees her face. Her eyes are wide, her mouth dropped. He knows she had realized what he meant.

"Sounds familiar right?" Noir asks. "I overheard the village elder I believe talking to a man named Roland. They mentioned our names. Now that I have gotten a good look at you, I can finally add a face to a name. Eve Kurama, it now makes sense."

"Kurama..." Eve mumbles her new surname a few times. Noir just chuckles bringing her out of her trance.

"Coincidental and oddly fitting right?"

She laughs and nods. Finally getting comfortable in her chair, she leans back and sighs in satisfaction causing Noir to smile lighly.

After spending the whole morning thinking about it, Noir had come to theorize the situation he and the other children ended up in and compares it to his living habit in his previous life. He and his friends grew up together, lived near each other, and even shared similar hobbies. Putting 2 and 2 together he had come to a more logical conclusion. There were 8 of them before and there ended up 8 of them now.

It did not take Noir long to reach that conclusion. Eve's reaction when he mentioned her similarities to the 9 tailed fox from Naruto proved that his theory might be true. Plus the scroll tied to her bracelet looks an awful lot like the Scroll of Seals.

Noir glances at the ring resting on his middle finger on his right hand and rubs it fondly. 'This ring looks a lot like the one passed on from one king to the next in the Lucis Royal Line. The Ring of the Lucii.'

Their silence is interrupted when another kid stumbles down the stairs.

A human boy with messy black shoulder lenth hair. Freckles on his face. Wearing a black open front shirt with no shirt under it and a pair of dark red shorts. Tied to his neck and hanging behind him is an orange hat too large for his head that has two blue smily faces. One happy and one sad.

When Noir saw him he couldn't help but laugh. Something Eve joined him when she finally realized what he noticed.

The boy raises a brow in annoyance and confusion. "What so funny!?"

Noir points to a small mirror hanging nearby. The boy walks over and looks at his reflection, but could not help in shouting out loud.

"THE FUCK!?" The boy touches his face all over. "When the hell did I become a kid Ace!?"

"Guess we know who is Ace Gideon." Noir says.

Eve nods, "Indeed."

Ace turns to the two who are watching his amusement and huffs before plopping down on a couch.

"The One Piece marathon came to bite you in the ass now did it?" Eve quips with a smirk.

"Bite me... How did you know I was having a marathon?" Ace asks. "Unless..." His eyes widen when he understands her meaning. "You too!?"

Noir chuckles and nods, "Seems so. I believe our situation now reflects our previous interests and what we doing last before falling asleep." Noir explains. "In my case my interests lie in role playing games, Final Fantasy in particular." He holds up his right hand and shows off his ring. "Hence the Ring of the Lucii." He points to Eve. "Her foxy features and the mini scroll." Then he points to Ace. "And your looks and hat. Our appearances and possessions reflect our previous life preferences."

"Just great..." Ace groans and slumps back.

"Look on the bright side Ace..." Eve gets Ace's attention whom raises his brow. "At least you did not come out looking like Buggy the Clown or Usopp."

When Ace imagines coming out looking like those two, weird noses and all, it sends a shiver down his spine.

"Point taken."

Noir and Eve laugh.

...

While the 3 were talking another kid had made her way down the stairs to be greeted by them lounging in the living room.

Her light blue hair is short with long bangs framing her face. The pupils of her eyes are silver. Her outfit consists of a black tanktop and shorts. A dimly glowing blue tattoo is covering the left half of her body from the neck down.

When she made it over to them and sat down on the sofa next to Noir, she notices the three checking her out.

"What?" She finally broke the silence and asks.

"Oh nothing." Ace says waving his hand aside. "Just remembered that you were playing the new Borderlands yesterday. Didn't expect you to wake up looking like the blue siren herself..." Pausing for a second he continues with a smirk. "Here is to hoping you don't run into someone with the same of Calypso who sucks."

"Ugh!" She groans and facepalms, "Don't fucking remind me! Still pisses me off that they killed off my girls like that! At least one of them went out like a boss. Fucking parasite..."

"Hahaha! At least we know where the name came from." Noir says catching her attention.

"Name?"

"Maya Lilith." Noir answers, "Myself excluded, most of us have names linking us to whatever series we taken after. That happens to be where your name derives from."

Maya's brow raises in disblief before shaking her head. "Really? My last name is Lilith. Really creative."

...

Another kid decides to come down the stairs cursing under his breath. From the looks of things he had taken the waking up as a child in another world thing the wordt out of everyone else. Noticing the others sitting in the lounge, he sits himself down in a free chair after checking out the others, mainly Eve due to her unique features. Which is ironic considering his demonic right arm.

He has short white hair and blue eyes. His outfit consists of a white t-shirt, blue hoodie, and blue jean pants. Around his neck is a pendant.

"Anyone mind telling me how I ended up as a 6 year old kid in a cosplay convention?" He asks before holding his demonic arm up, "and how the fuck does this thing work? It almost feels real."

Patting him on the shoulder, Noir tries to explain it as clearly as possible. "Unfortunately Troy, this reality. So you better get used to it."

"Troy?"

Noir nods and says, "The old guys mentioned our names and yours would be Troy considering your surname is conveniently Sparda."

"Fan-fucking-tastic!"

Maya starts laughing and starts motioning with her hand, "I'd watch it with that arm of yours. It'd be terrible if wiping your ass went wrong. Worst if you tried jerking off with that thing."

"Ha-ha-ha very funny." Troy flips her off before smirking. "Don't go getting sucked off by a parasite yourself."

"Bite me!"

"Definitely awkward..." Eve says.

"How so?" Troy asks.

Eve points at Maya, "The Calypso twin that killed the game Maya was also named Troy."

"Ohhh. Well shit, this is pretty awkward." Troy whistles and looks away from Maya's glare. "At least I'm much more handsome."

"Your 6."

"Whatever."

...

This time two blondes come down the stairs to join everyone else in the lounge. One of them was a normal human, the other with pointy ears similar to an elf from the fantasy genre.

The human girl has long golden hair flowing down her back that reaches her mid-back, her eyes are golden. Her outfit consists of a simple buttoned up white shirt and a red skirt that goes beneath her knees. A silver pocket watch can be seen in her pocket attached to her belt loop by a silver chain.

She has the look of an intellectual.

The other blonde has two braided ponytails resting over her shoulders. Her eyes a bright cerulean. Her outfit consists of a blouse shiry beneath a large green hooded cloak. She has a red leather skirt that has a pair of sports shorts below it. She is wearing long leather boots that reach above her knees. Around her neck is a golden compass.

Oddly enough she has a mark with 3 golden triangles that occasionally glows at intervals.

"Morning..." The elven girl greets the others with a yawn and squeezes on on the couch between Noir and Ace before leaning up against Ace, barely able to keep herself awake.

"Morning to you too She-Link." Ace chuckles. " Told you not to stay awake late playing Link's Awakening."

"Totally worth it..."

Noir looks at both of them and smiles.

"That would make her Linkle Crescent and..." He focuses on the human blonde girl, mainly her golden eyes and the familiar silver pocket watch. "I believe you would be Astraea Lore. Astrid for short."

Astrid looks at Noir and asks, "I do not recall that being my name. So why are you referring to me as such?"

"Do any of you recall our former names?" Noir asks. Everyone else just shrugs or shakes their heads. Seems as if no one can recall their previous identities.

"I suppose it will have to do." Astrid accepts her new identity.

"Yay, I'm the heroine of Hyrule." Linkle yawns and huddles into a ball. "I'll be happy to celebrate later after my morning nap..."

"Lazy."

Noir looks around at each kid so far. Between himself, Eve, Ace, Maya, Troy, Linkle, and Astrid. He counts 7 of them.

"There are seven of us here, so that means the only one left is..." Noir is interrupted when a familiar red and white ball flies over everyone's head and bounces off Eve's head causing her to yelp.

"OWW!" She rubs her head.

"AWWW!" A dreamy looking girl pops up behind Noir, Ace, and Linkle. "I really wanted to catch a cute fox girl. I think my ball is broken."

The last kid to arrive is a faunus girl with bright pink hair, kitty ears, and a very long tail that sways around freely behind her. She is the purest and most innocent looking girl they have all seen before.

"And we have our resident Pokemon Master turned legendary pink cat." Noir says pointing back over his shoulder. "Conveniently named Mew Saphira."

"Yay! I'm a cute little pokemon!" Mew cheers before leaping over the couch and crash landing in Ace's lap causing him to groan out in pain. A little fun fact, Ace was Mew's big brother in their previous world.

Noir looks at everyone her and smiles. Despite being in this new world, he is happy to be in it together with his friends.

"Okay guys." The others look at Noir when he begins to speak. "I had awaken earlier, a few hours before sunrise so I managed to overhear something."

"They found us outside the village being escorted by a man who had been mortally wounded. We are apparently survivors of a fallen village." He pauses before continuing, "who is familiar with Rooster Teeth's RWBY?"

Troy curses, "Fuck!"

Only Troy, Noir, Mew, and Ace are familiar with the series.

"As Troy so eloquently says, we are on the world known as Remnant. Our village was overrun by the Grimm and us 8 are the only survivors." Noir points to the sky. "When it was still dark out I could see the shattered moon clearly."

"The moon is shattered?" Maya asks. Noir nods. "Must suck for the tides."

"This may sound interesting to you guy, but trust me. This world can be very cruel and vicious." Troy explains. "Between corrupt government councils, the fucking White Fang, conspiracies, manipulative academy headmasters, and an immortal witch controlling the Grimm. There are alot of things that can kill us easily."

Ace nods, "Troy is right. Even with Aura and Semblances, there are plenty of ways we can find ourselves dead. Plus racism is a big thing in the cities."

"Racism?" Eve asks tilting her head.

"Yeah. Alot of humans treat Faunus as if they are mindless animals and second class citizens." Troy explains. "Some places refuse to serve faunus and some people would publicly harass them. Some who stand up for themselves are wrongfully convicted for resisting. A cruel world we found ourselves in."

"Sooo... Whats is a faunus? " Eve asks.

Noir points out Eve, Troy, Mew, and Linkle. "All of you are considered faunus due to your inhuman features. Mew and Eve for their kitty and fox features."

"Whatta bout me and Troy." Linkle asks while swaying back and forward drowsily.

"You and Troy are unidentified faunus. Now one knows." Noir says.

"Guess this world has never heard of Hylians." Troy says with a shrug. "And the closest thing they have to demons and devils are the Grimm."

Maya slams a fist down on the table, "There is no way in hell I'm letting this shitty world take me down without a fight!"

"I agree with Maya." Astrid says. "We cannot let ourselves fall." She turns to Noir, Troy, Mew, and Ace. "We need you guys to tell us everything about this series possible."

Noir nods, "We can do that. However there is only so much we can tell you. After all the show does not share every detail." Noir places the book he had been reading on the table. "This manor once belonged to a pretty amazing hunter who died a few years back. Nowdays it us used as an emergency shelter in the event of an attack, be it bandit or Grimm. Fortunately the library is still stocked up with quite a few books for us to research."

He looks at everyone before tapping on the book once, "My advice for us all is to thoroughly research our new world so that we can better prepare for the future."

"He is right." Astrid interjects, "Assume that some of the things we were educated in back on Earth is useless such as world history. Math is still quite useful."

Noir stands up and snatches up the book on Remnant's history.

"Well guys. Lets get started. One of the advantages of being a kid again is the fact that a child's developing brain absorbs information like a sponge." Noir says. "The villagers will pitch in to support our survival and some of the local wives will take care of our education. So I suggest we take advantage of our somewhat freestyle education and soak up as much as possible."

"Be nice and at least volunteer to do some chores here and there for our new benefactors. Don't take their generosity for granted."

With that everyone goes on their way to do their own thing while Noir heads into the study on the second floor to continue his studies.

'This life is gonna be tough, but I think we can manage ourselves just fine.' Looking out the study's window Noir smiles. 'Maybe we can even make some changes here and there.'


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: The first 2 chapters were meant to be an introduction of sorts for the primary protagonist and his friends to the world of Remnant. Which is why I had them in 3rd PoV. Primarily it will be in 1st PoV of the protagonist.**

-

I spent the morning reading up on the history of Remnant to improve my understanding of this world better. There are 4 major landmasses in this world.

Sanus is the continent in which the kingdoms of Vale, which is in the east, and Vacuo, in the west, reside. There are several settlements in Sanus other than the kingdoms such ad several coastal cities, and the island of Patch. There are a range of climates that range from verdant forests and mountains in Vale to the barren deserts of Vacuo.

The island of Vytal is located just north of the eastern end of Sanus.

Faron Village is located in a valley to the south of Vale. Surrounded by mountains and lush forests leaving only 1 true path in and out of the forest. At one point there was a neighboring village, but unfortunately our previous home was flooded by the grimm.

Anima is the continent in which the kingdom of Mistral is located. Within Mistral there are several settlements including the main city of Mistral, Wind Path, Kuchinashi, and Argus. Other settlements exist outside the kingdom.

The biomes of Anima include swamplands, wind-carved cliff, and forests such as the Forest of Hinoki. There is also a notable body of water called Lake Matsu, which is host to numerous floating islands held above the water surface by giant natural deposits of gravity dust. The floating islands are known to be a habitat for dangerous grimm, one known types being the Lancer and Harpies.

'Harpies?' I ask myself. I don't recall ever seeing those in the show.

Solitas is the continant in which the kingdom of Atlas is located, as well as the former capital Mantle. Solitas has a cold climate, which makes it mostly inhospitable to both humans and grimm.

Menagerie is the landmass in the southeast of Remnant where most of the faunus population resides. Kuo Kuana is the largest settlement on Menagerie.

Most of the continent is comprised of desert forcing the resident faunus to congregate on smaller areas resulting in small and dense settlements.

These are the basic information I scrounged up since I started studying Remnant since this morning. But some new information came to light that made me question if this is the real Remnant I am familiar with.

What I am referring to are the existence of grimm spawning points known as Dungeons and the seperation of the Hunter's Guild from government affairs. From my memories not one of those were a thing in RWBY.

According to this history book, the Queen of Darkness was defeated and sealed away upon the end of the last great war. This also lead to dungeons randomly appearing and threatening to blow up the grimm population which could inevitably lead to releasing the sealed queen from her prison.

Another notable moment in recent years is the seperation of the Hunters from government influence. Apparently corrupt councilmen abused their power for their own benefits. Such actions as assassination of rival politicians, to trying to rule by force. Nothing good came from politicians possessing such manpower. So the guild became an independant organization. Some politicians still train their own forces, but they will never be as efficient as hunters.

Another detail I managed to find while reading up on the Hunter's Guild is the minimum age for registering is 12 years of age.

For those who lack the resources or funds to pay for combat schools and the academies can register at the recommendation of a veteran hunter and by passing the trials set up by the major guild branches in the city. These situations usually come by apprenticeships.

Even without a recommendation it will require a more stricter trial to prove your ready for active duty.

The trials consist of a written test. This will help the guild understand how knowledgeable the aspiring hunter is about grimm, geography, and tactics. The next trial is a monitored hunt to see how well the aspiring hunter does out in the field where anything could happen.

Pass these trials and you can immediately call yourself a hunter.

The schools and academies are merely there to further your knowledge and help you grow in a more controlled environment.

To me it won't be necessary. I can learn more on my own and with my friends than in a school. If I need something confirmed I can just ask the local hunters. I'm sure Roland would gladly share his wisdom with us.

...

"The application of Dust in this world is simply fascinating." Astrid says as she joins me in the study to share with me what she had learned.

"I know." I agreed nodding my head." Ammunition, energy, there are plenty of uses for it. Compared to fossil fuel and natural gases, it is far cleaner and superior overall."

Astrid sighs, "It's a shame that the world is the way it is. If it were in a more peaceful time, then the progression of society would grow unimpeded."

"Doubtful. Humans would either point their weapons at each other or their faunus bretheren and the cycle of violence would contnue yet again."

"You think the grimm were a good thing for humanity?" Astrid asks with curiosity. Interested in his opinion on the topic. His response was a simple.

"In a way." I hum and remains silent for a moment before continuing, "the grimm taught humans and faunus to work together for the common goals of survival and coexistence. Without that one common enemy they would turn on each other in a heart beat. In the absence of true leadership, chaos and anarcy ensues."

"True leadership? The council is not considered true leadership to you?"

I chuckle and shake my head.

"Most of the members on the council only look out for their own interests and will stamp out anyone who challenges their own positions and agendas." Smiling lightly I look at Astrid, "When too many people share the same level of power things get... chaotic. Interests collide and with the opposition leads to a struggle. That struggle brings forth a war in the shadows."

"Conspiracies, murder, bribery, deception. So many cards they can bring to the game that would devour innocent and legitimate politicians. A single leader is what a society like this needs."

"Is your inner Lucis Royalty rubbing off on you or is this your own personal opinion?" Astrid asks with an amused smile.

"Perhaps a little of both."

We continue our chat for a while, at least until one of the village wives came to cook us a meal and pick our brains on how educated we all are. Needless to say, she was surprised to see how smart a couple of 6 year old kids are.

After lunch I decided to wander around the humble forest village that is Faron.

...

Walking through Faron Village, I politely greet everyone I meet along the way. From housewives, local kids, to the village's very own hunter forces. Surprisingly this village has it's own branch of the guild in charge of monitoring Faron Woods and the mountains surrounding the village. It also acts as a hub for travelling hunters that are pasding through on assignments.

The guild is far different than how hunters operate in the original series.

I had a chat with the retired hunter Roland. He had been forced to retire after losing right arm to a grimm 6 years ago. Now days he just manages the village guild and would occasionally do some light hunting of his own. A missing arm leaves him far from helpless. Yang in the show proves that.

After chatting with Roland, and briefly introducing myself to the village elder Greyson, I make my way back towards Lotus Manor after seeing all there is to see in the village.

Ding!~

"Huh?"

A resounding bell ringing echoes in my head causing me to stop in my track. Looking around I am unable to locate the source of the ringing.

Ding!~

Another ring of the bell echoes yet again.

"Where is the ringing coming from?"

Ding!~

The wind abruptly comes to a stall. Everything around me goes silent. Every person, animal, insect, and even the falling leaves blowing in the wind starts to slow down until everything comes to a pause. Everything becomes eerily silent and still.

"Hello?"

I walk up to a frozen woman nearby carrying a basket of vegetables and wave my in front of her face getting no response.

"How peculiar."

Walking through the frozen village, I interact with frozen locals with interest. I had nothing else to do anyways. Once I reach the manor the familiar bell ringing gets my attention again.

Ding!~

[Welcome to the Tutorial!]

I look down at the ring and notice how it begins to shine brightly. I stare at it curiously.

"Interesting..."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Gifts.

[Welcome to the Tutorial.]

[You Are probably asking yourself what the meaning and purpose behind the tutorial is. Worry not, for everything will be revealed in due time.]

[You have awaken and have found yourself in a strange new world. To you and a few of your friends the world seems familiar, however it is not all as it seems. For the world is considerably different than what you could remember. Someone who was thought to be dead may yet still be alive. Someone who was bad may just be good this time around.]

[Fate is never completely set in stone. Tiny changes could occur that may lead to the greatest of revolutions. But there is one thing certain in this world.]

[The gods have long since abandoned this world and it is spiraling down the path of certain doom. Humanity is slowly falling with their numbers dwindling little by little each generation. As you may be aware, they are not trying to stave off their extinction as well as they should. Some organizations even pushing them further towards extinction even faster.]

[You, along with your friends, have been granted unique gifts in order to give you a fighting chance in this dangerous and unforgiving world. Powers, abilities, and equipment foreign to this world to aid in improving the quality of life for everyone. The gifts you were granted lie sealed within the Relic resting on your finger.]

I glance down at the ring resting on my right hand middle finger as it was mentioned. "The Ring of the Lucii?"

[Additionally there is a Crystal merged with your very core thus you granting you access to the purest, densest, and most potent form of mana. This in essence will grant you an endless supply of mana...]

"Endless mana? Now that is just plain cheating." I say, but if the smile on my face is anything to go by, then you could tell how happy I am about it.

[... However the limitations of vessal means that only a limited number of magic can be used at a time. Once your current reserves are dried up, you will be able to recharge your reserves by drawing upon your crystal. Be warned, recharging in mid-battle can be dangerous.]

"Figures. Of course there would be some sort of condition." This fact did not deter me in the slightest.

[In order for the tutorial to continue, your Aura must be unlocked.]

"Wait what?" Before I can react I feel a sudden surge of unknown energy flowing into my body without warning. A simple breeze turns into a full blown maelstrom as the power of my soul comes bursting forth from deep within me. If the world had not been frozen like it is, then the force would have sent everyone near me flying.

My Aura, the power of my soul has been released. I don't know how a regular person's aura feels, but mine has an ethereal, magical feel to it. A benefit to being merge with the crystal I would guess.

"This feels amazing!" I cheer with a laugh. Almost euphoric.

[Now that your Aura has unlocked the tutorial can continue. Be advised, the due to your particular gifts, you will not have access to a Semblance...]

"Well shit..."

[... Your magic and other abilities will more than make up for it. So a Semblance would be unnecessary.]

"That makes me feel much better then!"

[Your Aura will serve as your lifeline, or body's natural defense. For a term more familiar to you, it would be considered your hitpoints, or HP in video game terms. You will not die when your Aura reaches zero, but you will be vulnerable to lethal force. It would be more prudent to flee or take shelter when your aura is empty or low.]

"Aura would be my HP huh? Feels like it would be similar to XV in which you would be vulnerable until you chug a potion or your allies help you up when your health reaches zero."

A feeling of warmth begins to flow through me causing me to moan loudly with a smile on my face.

[Remember the feeling you are currently experiencing. That is the feeling you will get when you find and call upon your body's mana. Your first task is to meditate and call upon that very same feeling, to access your mana. Learn to access your mana before we can proceed with your tutorial.]

"This should not be too bad." I say with a nod, sitting down with my lega crossed. "I did practice a few meditation techniques back on Earth to help with my stress levels. It just lacked the... mystical elements. How hard could it be?"

How hard could it be? Well I found out that it was indeed difficult to find that warm feeling. Meditating to relieve stress is one thing. Calling upon a power most fans of fantasy would sell their souls for, not so simple.

I sat here for what felt like hours, though I can never tell since the tutorial had frozen everything. After patiently meditating for do long, I am able to finally locate my body's natural mana supply. I even went further and discovered the endless mana being emitted from the same source as my Aura. My soul. What ever fear I had of someone trying to steal my crystal has officially put to rest.

"In retrospect I should avoid attracting Atlas' attention, lest I end up dissected by a mad scientist for research. Polendina would love to have a chance to study a new specimen, which would be pointless in the biological aspect considering my true power originates from my soul. If anyone can figure out how to rip a soul out it would be him. He did give Aura to a machine afterall."

[Congratulations on gaining access to your body's current mana reserves. Note that currently your reserves are limited by your body's age and conditioning. The older you are, the healthier you are, and the stronger your body becomes, the more mana your body can sustain. Your mana reserves can grow larger over time by improving those aspects as well as constant use of mana when casting spells and depleting your own reserves.]

"Good to know. I never planned on neglecting my body to become a full fledged mage anyways. I don't need to be a squishy glass cannon."

[Now if you will channel your mana into your relic, we can begin the next step of the tutorial.]

By listening to the almighty voice in my head I slowly guide my mana into the ring. Despite how simple it may seem, manipulating the mana itself is much more difficult that actually sensing it within me. Be it as it may, I took even less time guiding it to where it's suppose to go. I will need to remind myself to practice my control over mana a little each day before bed. I want to be able to fluently control it. No doing this half-assed. That is something Troy and Linkle would do normally. On the plus side, they would be so motivated to become more active due to having these amazing gifts.

After a few minutes of trying, I succeed in channeling my mana into the ring causing it to glow. In a flash of light 4 objects appear on the ground in front of me. 3 spherical objects and a wooden sword. Reaching down I take the blue sphere into my hand and immediately recognize it.

"This is materia!"

Materia is crystallized Mako. Metaphysically, Materia calls upon the wisdom of the Lifestream to manipulate nature manifesting as the phenomenon of magic for most Materia, although other Materia enhance the user's abilities. Some can even summon forth otherworldly entities.

[These 3 spheres are known as Materia. They are created from a process far different from their origins. These Materia are the physical manifestation of the crystal's magic and wisdom, which in turn will allow the user to cast the spell or ability within it.]

[The materia here are for the spell Fire, the evasive technique Warp, and the support Sense.]

[Fire is a basic low level spell that comes in projectile and grenade forms that would inflict small blast damage upon contact.]

[Warp is an evasive technique that allows the user to warp short distances away from an incoming attack. It will require the user to be highly perceptive and capable of timing the use of the skill. Weapons marked with the user's mana can be warped to. The limit is the user's maximum mana and throwing strength.]

[Sense will allow the user to detect the targets condition, emotion, and any form of weakness they can exploit.]

[These basic abilities, once mastered, will undoubtedly aid you in completing this tutorial and even in the real world. It is asvised that you are aware of your mana at all times. Note that only 3 materia can be equipped at a time. Mixing and matching materia will bring out many beneficial effects.]

[A Beowolf Grimm will now be summoned into the tutorial to allow you to get used to your materia's abilities.]

"Huh!?"

As it said beowolf was summoned and started snarling menacingly once it spotted me.

"Well, I appreciate the forewarning there pal."

I immediately kneel down and snatch up the wooden training sword and point it towards the dark beast with the skull armored face.

[The beowolf summoned has been weakened significantly for your convenience. Be warmed that it will still be a threat for the reckless.]

"Well, that makes it much better."

After picking up each of the materia, I watch as they are absorbed into my body. I have to admit that it feels strange, but I am thankful that the knowledge in using the skill is automatically implanted into my head.

[The beowolf will now be released. Reach at least 80% evasion rate before continuing with the next skill.]

"Wait wha..." I am interrupted as the beowolf charges at me and swipes at me. The hit connects without fail and knocks me into a frozen villager. "Goddamnit..." I'm fortunate that everyone is frozen. The villager never even budged an inch."

"Alright you fucker, I'm ready for you this time!"

Regrettably I was not ready and went sailing through the air a second time. Followed by a third... fourth... Fifth...

Finally after my 8th fail the beowolf is frozen and I am given time to recover my aura and wounds.

Laying on the ground I pant heavily, trying to refill my lunges with air. My body drenched in sweat. Bruised and battered. Yet somehow my clothes have managed to survive this one side beating.

"Ha... ha... ha... It was so uch easier than in the game where all I had to do was press or hold a button. Reality hurts."

My aura recovered within a few minutes thanks to the tutorial's influence. Time frozen or not, I feel that it would take hours to recover otherwise. Once my aure topped out the beowolf was set loose yet again. I evaluated my performance previously and considered the actions I could take the minimize the loses I can take. Taking in to consideration my small frame as a six years old, there should be sufficient room for evasion due to the difference in our sizes.

While the beowolf continues to charge at me, I move my body to evade while also attempting to avoid the grimm's attacks. Ducking under a claw swipe, I step to the side to avoid another one following it up. This time it opens it's maw and attempts to bite my whole head off in one go. I can feel the warmth of it's breath as it nears, smell it's breath. If it gets me with this bite it may be over.

There is no way I will allow myself to go out like this!

I channel the mana required into using the technique. I can feel the actual drain, so I am certain of it's success. The jaws of the beowolf are slowly closing around my head. So my natural reaction is to shut my eyes tight. A sudden tug on my body causes me to open my eyes.

"Holy shit..."

I'm standing behind the beast staring at it as it looks around in confusion. The prey it thought for sure it had just vanished.

"I-it worked!" I couldn't help but shout for joy. Unfortunately my outburst turned out to be a mistake for it had alerted the beast to my position right behind it. "Damnit!"

With a howl it charges at me again for another onslaught. This time I focus on the feeling I felt last time while also keeping an eye on each of it's claws and fangs. Luckily I managed to warp out of it's attacks a few times before my aura had dropped to the red and I was forced to stop and recover.

"Phew! This is hard but I think I'm getting the hang of it."

A few minutes later and a full supply of mana and aura. I return to being the beowolf's bitch. I continue this task for a few more hours until I succeed in aquiring the 80% evasion rate required to continue.

"Thank god this is over with!" I shout out in relief, glad to be done with that one side beo-beatdown. "What will it have me do now? Kill it with this shitty wooden sword?"

[Congratulations on reaching an evasion rate of 80% against a beowolf. Some grimm are far quicker than others. So the timing to evade their attacks vary depending on the species and the type of attack in use. Practice makes perfect.]

[Use Sense to identify effective weakpoints and destroy the grimm.]

"... Fuck!"

I am besieged yet again by the beowolf, yet my goal is to kill it with a wooden fucking sword!

After a close shave and a successful warp, I use sense and watch as a number of glowing points appear on the grimm's body. On it's neck and chest area where the heart is are 2 red points. On each og the joints, elbows and knees, are yellow points identifying crippling points.

"Red for lethality and yellow for crippling. I can work with this."

Letting it approach and strike. I warp to the side and hit it's knee causing it to stagger. After a few more hits I can safely say I crippled it's mobility. Next I focus my strikes on one of it's arms and rid the grimm of one attack option making my day easier. A few minutes later and a few strikes in the red zone, the beowolf turns to dust leaving me tired and victorious.

"I... Did it... Killed a beowolf. Even if it was... On easy mode..."

As satisfying as my first victory was, the tutorial was not about to let me enjoy it.

[Congratulations! By using Sense to identify the weakpoints of the grimm, you have succeeded in defeating it with but a simple training sword.]

"Yay..." I mockingly cheer at the announcement hoping to get on with it. At this point I am exhausted and want to go home and sleep after a nice long shower.

[Now that the hard part is over with, all that remains is the offensive magic. Familiarize yourself with fire and eliminate your next targets with an accuracy greater than 80%.]

In a flash of light another nerfed beowolf appears with a hungry growl.

"Ha... Here we go again."


End file.
